8th meeting-Sina

       On Tuesday, November 6th Sina and I had our last meeting (although we're definitely still going to hang out)! While eating dinner at the BLUU, I noticed that Harry Potter was playing on TV. I asked Sina who her favorite character was, to which she replied, "Draco Malfoy." After thinking a little more, she said, "Maybe Bellatrix...or Hermione." Gotta love the Harry Potter characters. :)
Since it was Election Day, we obviously had to talk about politics. She asked, "How old do you have to be to vote in America?" I told her and then she informed me about the voting process in Germany. Apparently you can vote 4 times-one for all of Europe,one for your town  (16), one for your 'state', and one for your country! They aren't all on the same ballot, but I thought that was really cool. She couldn't remember exactly how old you had to be to vote for each one, but it fell within the 16-18 age range.
     Sina plans to take the SAT in January, just to see where she is because she hopes to be accepted at a community collge next semester. She told me about when she moved here (July 31st) and how ever since she started school (August 17th), she's wanted to actually attend TCU. Students in the IEP program aren't considered to be even freshman! They have to graduate from the program to enter the university, so she's trying to do that. She's upset because her parents don't understand that she wants to go to college, since her aunt (from Arlington) is the only family member who completed college. I was upset when she said she wanted to go to a community college-although I was happy at the same time-because I would never get to see her! However, she said she would come back to see her friend, play on the polo team, and go to parties...she does that a lot because she has free time.
     As we were getting ready to leave, she told me that she was going to see the new James Bond movie that night, Skyfall. She was quite excited.
Well, I don't really know howto end my blog series. So...I have thoroughly enjoyed having a conversation partner. I think Sina and I were a wonderful match and I'm glad we got to have this experience.

Sina (7th meeting)

     On Thursday night, Sina came to my room to chat. She told me everything that happened within the last few weeks since I've seen her. One major thing she did in that time was get her belly button pierced! I asked her why she did that and she said, "Because I got a coupon from TCU saying I could get it done for $10!" I thought that was really strange, but didn't say anything. When I asked her if it hurt, she said, "Yeah, but not too bad. I would never get a tatto, though." I guess tattoos hurt more than piercings? I wouldn't know. Then she told me about how she "is a roll." When I asked her what she meant by that, she said she was "rolling everywhere." I finally figured out she meant that she felt bloated from eating so much Halloween candy last night! She went trick or treating with her cousin, uncle and uncle's brother. She didn't have a pumpkin 'basket' to collect candy from trick or treating, but her cousin let her share his candy. :) Her costume was really cool...she wore a wig and a pink outfit. She didn't know what she was, so I decided to give her the name "Pink Fairy Princess." She laughed and said, "I love it!"

     Next we discussed group projects and how much we loathe them (sometimes). At the beginning of the year, all of her peers were trying and focused on learning English, but their motivation has quickly died down. She says they "aren't trying" and she always ends up having to do all of the work. I commiserated and we found something else that we have in common. After we finished discussing these very important topics, she asked me to explain what SAC (Senseless Acts of Comedy) is. I had decided to invite her to see SAC (which performs every Thursday night at 9:00) with one of my roommates and me. I didn't tell her my reasoning behind the invite. I wanted to see if she laughed as much as I do...if she "got it" and decided to use her as a case study...in the nicest way possible. I was pleased with the results. The show was hilarious as always, but alas, she didn't laugh as much as the rest of our peers in the auditorium. Her favorite part was the skit where 3 improvisors joined together as a body with 3 heads. Each of them were only allowed to say 1 word and they had to participate in a conversation with each other. It was really funny (especially when one of the 'heads' said four words), and she laughed a lot there. At the end, she singled out three of the improvisors as her favorites and stated that one of them reminded her of one of her friends in Germany! I wonder if she is homesick... Overall, I hope she enjoyed it. It was good to see Sina again...we've both been very busy, so we hadn't been able to meet in a while. I'm glad we got a chance to catch up.

Hokum pgs 191-200 (6th response)

     I thoroughly enjoyed Bambara's short story, "The Lesson." The narrator catches the readers' attention with the words, "Back in the days when everyone was old andstupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right, this lady moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup." You can tell right away that the narrator will take us on a journey starring these two characters-Sugar and the lady, named Miss moore. The picture Sylvia (the narrator) portrays of this woman is not pleasant, to say the least. She planned "boring-ass things for us to do", had a college degree and took the liberty to teach the kids during the summer. Needless to say, they don't like her but she has a plan. Miss Moore was always telling the kids about how poor they are and how money "ain't divided up right in this country." As children, they just hear "blah-blah-blah" like she is the teacher from Charlie Brown. She proves to have a greater purpose than just taking away their pool time fun and games. She hails two cabs and hustles half of the kids in with her, asking our narrator to calculate a 10% tip for the driver. They get off on Fifth Avenue and go inside a store called F.A.O. Schwartz, but not before gazing at the beautiful toys in the window. As I realized later, the main idea of the story focuses on a "handcrafted sailboat of fiberglass" that costs $1,195. The kids are flabbergasted and in awe of the magnificent creation. The 'class' argues about who would pay that much for a toy and how you could get a sailboat set for much cheaper without comprehending that they had just learned Miss Moore's lesson. Once they get home, she asks them what they thought of the store. Sugar says, "I don't think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs." Miss Moore is excited that someone had hit the nail on the head and prompts her further by asking, "Imagine...what kind of society it is in which some peoplecan spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven." She hopes that the kids finally realize the inequality of the 'democracy' they live in. Bambara leaves Sylvia on her way to the West End to 'think this day through,' suggesting that Sylvia understands, at least in part, the lesson for the day.
     While reading this, I kept imaging Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus. This wonderful TV show had a teacher take kids on adventures, which is what Miss Moore does in our short story. I don't know why images of that kept popping in my head, but I suppose there are some interrelated concepts. The quote that Miss Moore says at the end of their day really stuck out to me. It brought back some guilty feelings about how those who are not poor really do (sometimes) spend a lot of money on expensive toys (like myself) that could be used to a much greater purpose. This story didn't make me laugh out loud and had a more serious tone than some of its counterparts, but I found it to be an enjoyable read.